The Growing Green Monday Feature: Halifirien Wood

Todays feature is near and dear to my heart. I'm so pleased to introduce you to the world of wood relief carving and painting done by my oh so talented husband. Located in Medicine Hat, Alberta I give you...

HALIFIRIEN WOOD

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.  ~Martin Luther

Nature is the art of God.  ~Thomas Browne 1635

Hayden working on a piece in his workshop.

The smell of freshly carved cedar fills the air, as I walk into our garage where Hayden has his workshop set up. Little spheres of curled wood lay all over the floor and table. It's the mess of an artist, and it's a beautiful mess. Hayden had been working on a new piece that was just fantastic! Well, every piece is truly fantastic and honestly, I would love to keep them all! But we haven't the room or wall space, and it would defeat the purpose of making a living if we kept every piece that was created. :) However this cedar piece found it's way to our wall for a short time, before it went to the loving home of another, just this past week.

   beautiful cedar piece

(sold)

The endless production of new, creative and beautiful masterpieces, continue to pour into our house, weekly these days, as Hayden has been out at the Millarville Farmers Market this summer, selling his wares. It's been fun watching him come up with new ideas and seeing the excitement that lights up his eyes when he finds a new piece of wood with incredible grains, colors and knots. Hayden in a wood shop is liken to a kid in a candy shop, and it's so fun to be a part of that.

Hayden began his craft only a couple years ago and to see how far he's come and the pieces he's created over this short span of time, is quite impressive. Not just to me (of course I'm going to be a bit biased as his wife) but to all who lay eyes on his work. One would honestly think he'd been honing his craft for several years. To pull a segment of a small bio he had written for one of his shows…
         "Trees surround us everywhere and are very much part of our everyday lives.  Every tree is unique, as different as we are from each other.  Trees are a constant reminder of both the splendor and provision of God.  Rough planks in a wood shop or out in a forest, the creation I see consistently inspires me to create.

           There are an estimated 100,000 plus species of trees on the earth.  Its this diversity that amazes me, I have only seen just a fraction of what exists. 

            I started off dabbling with making a few jewelry pieces, then amassing a collection of wood that my wife suggested I start doing something with."

And doing something with it he has. Here are a few samples of the different pieces that have come out of Hayden's most ingenuitive mind. There are pieces that are solely carved,  known as wood relief carvings, pieces that are carved and painted, pieces that are painted and then carved, pieces that are solely painted, pieces made out of tile, pieces etched onto marble, well, I think you get the picture. There is a LOT of variety.

 carved piece

 reclaimed hardwood that was carved then painted

(sold)

 painted and then carved

 tree is cut out of the wood

 painting on reclaimed hardwood

marble etching

 close up

 tile mosaic

 painted then carved (large piece)

 (sold)

 carved then painted

 real wood veneer glued onto another piece of wood, then carved

(sold)

 reclaimed hardwood end pieces

 carved then painted

(sold)

 carved then painted

(top and bottom are sold)

 carved then painted

(sold)

unique modern piece with fabulous grains.

There are so many more pieces that this hardly even begins to scratch the surface of what has been produced. To see more pictures please visit Hayden's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Halifirien-Wood/

Besides these pieces, Hayden also has many lovely necklaces (all hand carved out of wood), and the newest addition are some seriously awesome magnets, smaller versions of what you see above. There are always new ideas floating around inside his head, so who knows what will be the next great thing that is created. Only time will tell!
Hayden also can and does do custom work. At his last market, this past weekend, he had a guy, who already owned some cool wood, ask Hayden if he could carve a picture onto it. This is always an option. Or you can request something, even if you don't own any wood.

"Although I can duplicate, every piece will always be a unique piece as the wood changes.  If you envision a different type of wood, or another size, just let me know. " ~ Hayden
 

Hayden is also in the process of getting his web page up and running. We hope to have that up very soon, so please check it out www.halifirienwood.webs.com

For pricing and more details, you can also email Hayden at haydenwerezak@gmail.com and he will be happy to get back to you regarding any questions you may have. 

As a special promo for this blog only, if you purchase a piece and use the PROMOCODE: halifirienwood2012, you will receive 10% off your purchases that are directly from Hayden! You can find Hayden at the Millarville Farmers Market Sept 8th and Oct 6th, but pieces can be purchased from him anytime. His work can also be found in Medicine Hat at The Framing and Arts Centre/The Clay Trade, downtown on 2nd St. (across from the Monarch Theatre) and also at The Hive, also located on 2nd St.

For all you art lovers out there looking for something fresh, unique and local that is sure to wow your guests, Halifirien Wood is your bet. :) Enjoy!

Last Weeks free give-away winner: Jenae Sterkenburg. Congratulations!

Trivia question answer: Bee Venom

next week's feature hint: decadently fluffy sweet

Till next time!